Diet Discussions - View Single Post - Need help eating right.

Energy in = Energy Out = no weight change
Energy in > Energy Out = weight gain
Energy in < Energy Out = weight loss

Energy In = protein, carbohydrates, and fats [all foods and many drinks "good" and "bad" break down to these]
protein = 4 Calories
carbohydrates = 4 Calories
fats = 9 Calories
alcohol = 7 Calories

Energy Out -
Basal Metabolism: based on bodyweight (muscle, fat, and the rest), age, gender, genetics, etc...usually about 60-70% of total energy out (as you lose weight, bodyweight goes down, so less energy out. Muscle weight is very metabolically active, so you want to keep that and lose the fat

Physical Activity: It takes energy to move (depends - but usually ~15-30 total energy out for most folks)

Thermic Effect of Food: It takes energy to metabolize food you eat (~10% total energy out)

3500 Calories in a pound of fat. So to lose 10 pounds of fat, that equates to 35,000 Stored Calories/ stored energy that needs to be expended. I mile of walking = ~100 Calories. Thus diet plays an important role. You must eat less than you need each day by about 500 Calories plus you must become more physically active. This must be done for a very long time to lose substantial pounds. Just figure out the math. If you eat 500 Calories less every single day than you need, you will lose 1 pound in 1 week. As you lose weight (become less metabolically active), you need to adjust the amount of Calories you need or increase the amount of exercise you do or increase muscle mass in order to maintain the 500 Calorie deficit.

Weight loss is nothing more than a scientific and mathematical problem. It can be accomplished efficiently by understanding the math. The composition of the diet and the "foods you choose" are only relevent to weight loss as they relate to Calories and much less so as they relate to satiety, desire for foods, when to eat, what to eat or other pyschological factors. These factors can help to keep you consistent with the primary goal which is energy in < energy out.

Hope this helps...

09-17-2005, 10:37 AM	#3 (permalink)
obesiblogger DD Beginner Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 3	Energy in = Energy Out = no weight change Energy in > Energy Out = weight gain Energy in < Energy Out = weight loss Energy In = protein, carbohydrates, and fats [all foods and many drinks "good" and "bad" break down to these] protein = 4 Calories carbohydrates = 4 Calories fats = 9 Calories alcohol = 7 Calories Energy Out - Basal Metabolism: based on bodyweight (muscle, fat, and the rest), age, gender, genetics, etc...usually about 60-70% of total energy out (as you lose weight, bodyweight goes down, so less energy out. Muscle weight is very metabolically active, so you want to keep that and lose the fat Physical Activity: It takes energy to move (depends - but usually ~15-30 total energy out for most folks) Thermic Effect of Food: It takes energy to metabolize food you eat (~10% total energy out) 3500 Calories in a pound of fat. So to lose 10 pounds of fat, that equates to 35,000 Stored Calories/ stored energy that needs to be expended. I mile of walking = ~100 Calories. Thus diet plays an important role. You must eat less than you need each day by about 500 Calories plus you must become more physically active. This must be done for a very long time to lose substantial pounds. Just figure out the math. If you eat 500 Calories less every single day than you need, you will lose 1 pound in 1 week. As you lose weight (become less metabolically active), you need to adjust the amount of Calories you need or increase the amount of exercise you do or increase muscle mass in order to maintain the 500 Calorie deficit. Weight loss is nothing more than a scientific and mathematical problem. It can be accomplished efficiently by understanding the math. The composition of the diet and the "foods you choose" are only relevent to weight loss as they relate to Calories and much less so as they relate to satiety, desire for foods, when to eat, what to eat or other pyschological factors. These factors can help to keep you consistent with the primary goal which is energy in < energy out. Hope this helps...